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The Illawarra Hawks\u2019 off-season acquisitions haven\u2019t stopped, with the club adding former NBA player and NBL veteran Lamar Patterson as an Injury Replacement Player for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n The move adds another experienced piece to Justin Tatum\u2019s roster as the Hawks look to return to championship contention following a disappointing title defence last season.<\/p>\n Announced by the club earlier today, Patterson, who celebrated his 35th birthday last week, will make Illawarra his third NBL team since first arriving in Australia with the Brisbane Bullets during the 2018-19 season.<\/p>\n In Patterson, the Hawks aren\u2019t simply adding depth. They\u2019re bringing in a former NBA player, two-time All-NBL First Team selection and proven scorer whose remarkable professional journey has taken him around the world.<\/p>\n EXCLUSIVE: MVP threat ready to turn heads as Euro star reveals why he chose Bullets<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Patterson spent five years at Pittsburgh, where he shared the court with Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams during the 2012-13 season.<\/p>\n Patterson saved his best college basketball for last, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists during his final season in the ACC.<\/p>\n That campaign helped Patterson hear his name called with the 48th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, selected by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks on draft night.<\/p>\n Rather than immediately begin his NBA career, Patterson headed overseas and signed with Tofa\u015f Bursa in T\u00fcrkiye for the 2014-15 season, averaging 11.2 points per game.<\/p>\n Less than a year later, his NBA opportunity arrived.<\/p>\n Patterson joined Atlanta and spent parts of the next two seasons with the Hawks, appearing in 44 NBA games and averaging 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 10.9 minutes per game.<\/p>\n During that period, Patterson also spent time in what was then known as the NBA Development League, suiting up for the Austin Spurs, Canton Charge (now Cleveland Charge) and Reno Bighorns (now Stockton Kings).<\/p>\n It was there that Patterson was given a greater opportunity to showcase his scoring ability.<\/p>\n During his final season in the league in 2016-17, he averaged an impressive 24.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.<\/p>\n Patterson was waived by the Bighorns on March 18, 2017, beginning an international journey that would eventually take him to Australia.<\/p>\n Over the following year, Patterson played in Puerto Rico, Italy and China before landing with the Brisbane Bullets five games into the 2018-19 NBL season.<\/p>\n And it didn\u2019t take long for him to make an impact.<\/p>\n Patterson averaged 17.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field during his debut campaign, beginning what would become a longstanding relationship with Australian basketball across both the NBL and NBL1.<\/p>\n